Cigarette Smugglers Sentenced

Posted 2 years ago

By Associated Press

Three people have been sentenced on federal charges for smuggling cigarettes from Vietnam and unlawfully selling them in Nebraska.

Federal prosecutors say Kim Nguyen, Hoa Van Huynh and Thuy Nguyen, all of Lincoln, were sentenced on Wednesday for smuggling, possessing and distributing contraband Vietnamese cigarettes in Lincoln and Nebraska City between July 2010 and May.

The sentences include house arrest, supervised release and fines. Kim Nguyen must pay over $15,000 in restitution to the state and federal government.

They were among six people charged. Officials say the group had more than 10,000 cigarettes shipped from Vietnam and then resold them without paying state or federal taxes.

A fourth defendant, Teo Van Phan, was sentenced last week. A federal jury decided the other two weren’t actively involved.